SAN DIMAS, Calif. – Forward James Moore (SR/Talco, TX) recorded 17 points and a career-best 17 rebounds as the Vanguard men's basketball team earned a commanding 80-61 victory against Life Pacific in Golden State Athletic Conference action Thursday evening at the Hicks Student Center.
Moore posted his second career double-double as the Lions owned a 45-31 rebounding edge and turned 16 Life Pacific turnovers into 23 points. The Lions improved to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the GSAC, while the Warriors fell to 2-6 overall and 0-3 in league action.
The Lions have won three straight and five of their last six games. Vanguard held its third straight opponent to under 40 percent shooting as the Warriors finished at 39.6 percent (21-of-53), including just 6-of-23 from three-point range.
Point guard Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) turned in another steady all-around performance with 12 points, two rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. He was 5-of-7 from the field and sank both of his three-point attempts.
Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) tallied 13 points and four rebounds, while Jordan Caruso (JR/New York, NY) led the Lions bench unit with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals in 19 minutes.
Vanguard shot 46.4 percent (32-of-69) for the game and scored 52 of its 80 points in the paint.
What Happened?: Neither team led by more than five points through the first 10 minutes. White hit a three-pointer with 7:32 remaining in the first half to put the Lions up 28-21.
Vanguard's defense then stymied Life Pacific for a four-minute stretch, holding the Warriors scoreless and extending its advantage to double-digits, 33-23, on a Caruso layup with 3:23 to go.
Masie Mohammadi (SR/San Carlos, CA) knocked down a jumper to help the Lions retain their 10-point lead, up 37-27 at halftime.
The lead dipped into single digits just once in the second half. Austin Cook hit a jumper to narrow the deficit to 37-29 with 18:59 remaining.
However, the visitors embarked on a 14-3 run as Moore, White and Davis extended the lead to 51-32 with 14:18 on the clock.
Andre Allen (SR/Los Angeles, CA) made two free throws at the 9:17 mark to give VU a 62-41 edge. The Warriors then pieced together an 11-1 spurt to narrow the Lion lead to 63-52 with 6:15 left.
That was as close as Life Pacific would get as an 8-0 VU run helped along by three-pointers from Mohammadi and Davis resulted in a 71-52 lead just under five minutes to go.
Phillip Willis (JR/San Diego, CA) gave Vanguard its largest lead of the game at 78-53 on a triple, and the Lions emptied their bench from there.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions have held opponents to an average of 63.4 points over the last three games as they continue to ratchet up the intensity on the defensive end. Moore was a force on the glass as his 17 boards crushed his previous single-game best of 10.
What Was Said?: "I'm proud of the way the guys competed in this game. LPU is a hard team to prepare for and they do a good job of creating matchup challenges for our personnel," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "We had 9 guys score tonight, with 4 in double figures and two others with 8. That's the kind of balance we are hoping for every night in the GSAC from our guys. Life Pacific did a nice job in the second half of cutting the lead when we relaxed and we were fortunate that we regrouped and closed it out with stops and high percentage shots. We have a quick turnaround and have to be ready to go against a really good UAV team."
What's Next?: Vanguard remains on the road and faces a tough non-conference opponent in Antelope Valley this Saturday. The Pioneers are receiving votes in the latest NAIA poll. Tipoff is 3:00 p.m. in Lancaster.
